John Rhys-Davies is basically the soul of the Indiana Jones franchise. You’ve seen him as the boisterous, singing, and fiercely loyal Sallah in three of the five films, yet most people don't realize how close we came to a version of Raiders of the Lost Ark without him.
Think about it.
Sallah is the "best digger in Egypt." He’s the guy who saves Indy from poisoned dates and helps him navigate the treacherous Well of Souls. But in the original casting discussions, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas weren't looking for a towering Welshman with a booming baritone.
The Danny DeVito "What If"
Believe it or not, the role of Sallah was originally offered to Danny DeVito. Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around that. DeVito’s agent reportedly asked for too much money, and the actor was tied up with the sitcom Taxi. When that fell through, Spielberg turned to John Rhys-Davies, having been impressed by his performance as a Portuguese navigator in the miniseries Shōgun.
Spielberg told Rhys-Davies he wanted a character somewhere between Vasco Rodrigues from Shōgun and Shakespeare’s Falstaff. It worked. Rhys-Davies brought a warmth and a regal dignity to Sallah that made him more than just a sidekick; he became an equal.
The Brutal Reality of Filming Raiders
Filming in Tunisia was no vacation. It was a nightmare.
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While everyone remembers the iconic scene where Indy shoots the swordsman, they often forget why it happened. Most of the crew, including John Rhys-Davies and Harrison Ford, were suffering from severe dysentery. Ford was too sick to perform a three-day choreographed sword fight, so he suggested, "Why don't I just shoot the sucker?" Spielberg agreed, and movie history was made.
Rhys-Davies had it just as bad. He once recalled that during the filming of the Well of Souls, he was practically losing his "insides" between takes. Yet, he’s there on screen, hoisting the Ark of the Covenant and singing Gilbert and Sullivan. That’s professional commitment at a level most of us can’t fathom.
A Deleted Scene That Changes Everything
There is a dark, deleted moment from Raiders that few fans talk about. In an early version of the script, a German officer is ordered to take Sallah behind a tent and execute him. It’s a chilling parallel to scenes Spielberg would later film in Schindler’s List.
The scene was cut, likely because it felt too grounded and grim for a swashbuckling adventure. It does, however, highlight the stakes Sallah was playing for. He wasn't just a "helper"; he was a man risking his life and his massive family’s safety to stop the Nazis from weaponizing God.
Sallah's Evolution and the "Downgrade" Debate
When Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade rolled around in 1989, Sallah returned, but the vibe changed. Some fans argue the character was "dumbed down" for comic relief.
In Raiders, he’s a serious professional. In Last Crusade, he’s the guy getting excited about camels and punching Nazis with a newspaper. Is it a downgrade? Or just a friend aging into a more joyful version of himself? Honestly, Rhys-Davies plays it with so much heart that most people don't care. He provides the necessary light to balance out the tension between Indy and his father, Henry Jones Sr.
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The Disappointing Return in Dial of Destiny
Fast forward to 2023. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny brought Sallah back one last time. By this point, the character is living in New York City, working as a cab driver, and clearly missing the "desert wind."
John Rhys-Davies has been surprisingly candid about his feelings on the final film. At various fan conventions in 2025, he expressed a bit of frustration. He felt the movie missed the mark by not leaning enough into the "old friends" nostalgia.
"I was disappointed because a lot of the material that I'd been persuaded would be in the piece... vanished the moment I signed the contract," he told fans at a panel.
He specifically pointed out that the audience wanted more of that "heart-tug" from seeing the original companions. He even went as far as saying the studio wasted talent like Antonio Banderas. It’s rare to hear an actor be that blunt about a major franchise, but that’s John Rhys-Davies for you. He’s as honest as the characters he plays.
What Most People Get Wrong About Sallah
There’s a common misconception that Sallah is just "the help." He’s not. He’s a family man with nine children (though he jokingly claims "five hundred" in Raiders).
He represents a bridge between the Western academic world of Indy and the lived reality of the Middle East. Rhys-Davies has often mentioned that Sallah is one of the few positive, heroic Arab characters in Western cinema from that era. He’s intelligent, he’s a linguist, and he has a moral compass that often rivals Indy’s.
Sallah’s "True" Ending
What happened to Sallah after the credits rolled in NYC? Rhys-Davies has his own theory, and it’s a bit heavy. He believes Sallah would have ended up like Khaled al-As’ad, the real-life keeper of the museum in Palmyra who was killed by ISIS while protecting ancient treasures.
It’s a sobering thought. Sallah was a man who loved history. He didn't just dig for money; he dug because he respected the past.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors:
- Watch the Blu-ray Extras: If you want to see the real chemistry between Ford and Rhys-Davies, the "Making of Raiders" documentaries are better than the actual movies in some ways.
- Track the Cameos: Sallah appears in various Indiana Jones theme park attractions, often voiced by Rhys-Davies himself, which keeps the character alive outside the films.
- Look Beyond the Fedora: If you love Rhys-Davies' work here, check out his role in Shōgun (1980). You can see exactly why Spielberg hired him on the spot.
- Respect the "Digger": Next time you watch Raiders, pay attention to Sallah’s warnings. He’s the only one who truly respects the power of the Ark from the start.
John Rhys-Davies didn't just play a sidekick; he created a legend. Sallah is the glue that makes the world of Indiana Jones feel lived-in and real. Even if the later films didn't give him the screen time he deserved, his impact on the trilogy is permanent.